Cherie Blair gets the goat of London drivers

Cherie Blair speaks about how she will herd 20 goats over London Bridge to
mark International Widows' Day

Photo: REX FEATURES

By Tim Walker

6:30AM BST 28 May 2012

David Miliband once spoke about how Tony Blair was a sufficiently big player on the world stage that he “could stop the traffic”. The former Labour prime minister’s wife, Cherie, will shortly show that she, too, can still manage it when she leads a herd of 20 goats over London Bridge.

“Don’t ask me how I am going to do it — I am in denial about the practicalities of herding goats,” Mrs Blair tells Mandrake at a party at the Mayfair home of Meera Gandhi to launch her inspiring book, Giving Back. “We are doing it on June 23 to mark International Widows’ Day, which will highlight the plight of widows worldwide.”

Mrs Blair is president of the Loomba Foundation and the stunt is the brainchild of Lord Loomba, who is, as a Freeman of the City of London, being permitted to exercise his ancient right to herd livestock over the bridge. “It’s not been easy,” he says. “We have had resistance from the animal protection people, the local council, the transport guys, but we got there in the end.”

The Corporation of London says the right of its freemen to convey livestock across its four bridges — Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge and Southwark Bridge — is no longer automatic since the law applied only while there were still livestock markets in the City.

Lord Loomba tells me that Miriam Clegg, the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister, will be assisting Mrs Blair with her herding duties.